


Home Is Where The Heart Is

by Lollikins



Series: At Home In Your Arms [1]
Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Beginning of a new series, Dom Park Seonghwa, Drunkenness, Fluff, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Sub Kang Yeosang
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:41:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26790808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lollikins/pseuds/Lollikins
Summary: After a fire destroys college student Kang Yeosang's apartment, he's forced to find another place to live. Through a mix up, he is forced to share a house with another college student Park Seonghwa.
Relationships: Kang Yeosang/Park Seonghwa
Series: At Home In Your Arms [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1953625
Comments: 8
Kudos: 76





	Home Is Where The Heart Is

Kang Yeosang stood on the curb in his stocking feet watching the firefighters putting out the fire in his apartment. When he had been awakened at 4am by the fire alarm and his roommate yelling, he grabbed his bag with his laptop, his phone, and a pair of pants. He was wishing now that he had grabbed his shoes. At least he had socks on, that was something he supposed. 

Half of the first floor was entirely gutted, that was where the fire had started. He watched as the window of his living room was broken outward. 

He knew he should be counting his blessings that he was at least still alive and had insurance but he still had the more pressing concern of where exactly he was going to live. He had hoped that the fire might not have been that bad and that after some clean up, he might be able to move back in but as he watched, it became increasingly apparent that would not be the case. 

Yang Jaeho, his roommate nudged him. “Did you manage to save anything?” 

Kang Yeosang held out his backpack and his phone. “You?” 

Jaeho looked down at his slipper clad feet, “I panicked and just ran out after yelling for you. Your parents don’t live in Seoul do they?”

Yeosang shook his head. He hadn’t even thought of that, he was going to have to find a place to stay for the night. He had his parent’s emergency credit card so he could stay at a hotel. “I think I’ll have to spend the night at a hotel.” 

“Can I come with you? I don’t want to have to wake up my parents. It’s not like there’s anything they can do at this hour anyway.” 

They both turned and looked back toward the still flaming structure that had been their home. 

***

Yeosang checked the address on his phone again. It was an older, small but neat home, a bit further away from the university than he would have liked but the bus stopped right in front and the subway wasn’t far either. It was a good deal nicer than he would have normally been able to afford, even with a roommate and now he was going to be living here by himself. The idea of not having a roommate was sheer bliss, maybe the fire had been a blessing in disguise. He didn’t actually know the owner, Mr. Cho was a workmate of his mother’s and he had a few properties around the city. This was the only one that wasn’t occupied and he was able to get it with no down payment and for only 300k won a month. He certainly couldn’t do any better and he could do a lot worse. 

Mr. Cho had said the place was old and might need some work. From where he was standing, it looked immaculate. There was no telling what it looked like inside though. The moving truck with his things and bed, was to arrive around lunch time. 

Might as well take a look and see what he had to deal with. He unlocked the door on an extremely tidy, clean, and well kept home. It was already furnished as well, his mother hadn’t mentioned that. Beyond the entry hall was a living room and dining area. There was a long leather couch facing a large screen television and a coffee table. There was a table set up for dining. The kitchen was a small galley, utilitarian. 

Before he could even get to taking off his shoes, he heard movement and a sound of shock. “Who are you?” 

Yeosang turned to see a tall, slender young man with a towel swathed around his narrow hips walking out of a bathroom accompanied by a wall of steam. For a long moment they just stared at each other. Did he have the wrong house? He looked down at the address on his phone again and then leaned back out of the door checking the number. No, that was the right address and he had unlocked the door. “I-” 

Now that he looked a bit more closely, it wasn’t just furnished, there were books on the shelves. The flowers on the dinner table were fresh and not plastic. The towel that hung in front of the sink in the kitchen looked as though it had been recently used. Someone obviously lived there. He looked back to the nearly naked man who had just come out of the bathroom. “Mr. Cho said that I could live here. He said no one lived here.” 

The young man’s eyebrows shot up, “Clearly that’s not true. I live here and I’ve lived here for the last couple of years.” 

Shit. Shit. Shit. 

Well now what? 

“I’m so sorry.” Yeosang half bowed and backed out of the front door only to lower himself to the stoop and drop his head into his hands. Had Mr. Cho given him the wrong address? He called his mother to ask, she said she would get back to him after she spoke to the man. In the meanwhile, what was he going to do? His things would be there in a little less than two hours and he didn’t exactly have any place else for his things to go. He ran both of his hands through his hair. 

A light touch to his shoulder jolted him from his misery and he whipped around to see the man who he had intruded on standing in the doorway looking at him sympathetically, “You don’t have anywhere else to go do you? I’m sorry, I heard part of your conversation.” 

He really wanted to make excuses, he was feeling particularly pathetic at the moment. It was a feeling he detested but in truth, he _didn’t_ have anywhere else to go. Maybe the guy might let him leave his things there while he looked for somewhere else to live. “No, I don’t.” 

“Come on in, have some tea at least.” The young man headed back into the house. He had replaced his towel with a pair of jeans and a loose button up shirt with the collar open. His hair was still damp. 

Yeosang stood up and dusted his hands against his legs before following. “I’m Kang Yeosang.” 

The young man turned and smiled and offered his hand, “Park Seonghwa. How do you know Mr. Cho?” 

“He’s a co-worker of my mother.” Yeosang took a seat on the couch that Park Seonghwa directed him to as he headed into the kitchen. 

“Uncle Woosik can be a little forgetful, it’s possible he forgot I was living here.” Seonghwa mused as he turned the kettle on and pulled two cups from the cupboard. 

“He’s your uncle?” 

“My father’s best friend, I’ve known him my whole life. Did you give up your old place to move here?” Seonghwa leaned a hip against the counter as he spoke. 

“There was a fire, it was either move here or move back home until I found a place.” 

Seonghwa winced at the reply. He then chewed on his bottom lip as he mulled something over. “I don’t have a lot of room but there are two bedrooms here and if you want…” he paused before he continued, looking thoughtfully at Yeosang. “You can stay here until you find something else.” 

“Really?!” Yeosang jumped up in excitement? “I mean you really don’t have to do that.” 

Seonghwa laughed, “You don’t have to pretend, you can accept. Do you have more things?” 

Yeosang looked down at the backpack that Seonghwa had gestured to, “Oh yes. I didn’t realize you were living here and I arranged for my furniture to be brought here. It should be here soon.” He flashed an apologetic smile. 

“Then I guess I should show you around.” Seonghwa pushed off of the counter and guided Yeosang through the house, showing him the bedroom that would be his as well as a tiny space Seonghwa turned into an office that was far too small to be a bedroom. The bathroom was surprisingly large and there was a washing machine and dryer as well as a full tub and a shower. The best part was a porch which looked over a tiny backyard. This place really would have been perfect, except for the fact that someone else lived there. 

While his fortune at his birth had been… strange, his actual life was supposed to be pretty good. It was only his soul mark that was supposed to cause him strife. That was easy though, stay away from his soul mark. As much as they could signify the person who you should be with, they could show you who to stay well away from. He was starting to wonder if he had just been born under a bad sign, his apartment building burned down and now he finds the perfect place to live but with someone else living in it. He was still, essentially homeless. 

“I should at least pay you rent. I’m not sure how long it will take me to find a new place. With the school year already in session, I can’t even get into one of the dorms.” Yeosang said as he looked around the room that would be his bedroom. There were a couple of boxes that belonged to Seonghwa, he helped him move them up to the attic. 

Seonghwa contemplated him quietly for a moment before he finally nodded, “Alright, then you can stay here until you find something else and you can pay me the rent you were going to pay Uncle.” 

And just like that, Yeosang found a place to live and Seonghwa gained a new roommate. 

Park Seonghwa, it turned out, was extremely neat and downright fastidious. He presented Yeosang with a list of chores to be done, how frequently and on which days they needed to be done was written out in an easy to read chart. Yeosang wasn’t overly messy but he was surprised to see how diligent his new roommate was. Seonghwa was also a student, two years ahead. He was set to graduate and already had a job lined up after graduation. 

For his part, Seonghwa was surprised to find that Yeosang was an ideal roommate. While he would have preferred living alone, he found he enjoyed the younger man’s company. He was quiet and a bit shy at first but when he opened up to him, he found him to be intelligent, quirky, and funny. He also found himself wanting to take care of him. What was more, he just liked being with him. It was just nice to come home from class and have Yeosang there to greet him. Maybe he had spent too long living alone and just missed having people around. 

“How did your test go?” Yeosang poked his head in from the back door as Seonghwa walked in. 

Seonghwa sighed heavily, looking weary. 

“Not good?” 

A bright smile suddenly took over and Seonghwa winked, “I aced it.” 

“Good I got some soju to celebrate!” Yeosang clambered to his feet and headed toward the kitchen. 

“What if I had failed?” Seonghwa took off his shoes and stepped into his slippers. 

“Then it would have been to commiserate with you. I ordered chicken for dinner and everything. If you want to take a shower, it should be here by the time you get out.” 

Seonghwa just stopped and watched Yeosang bustling around the kitchen and setting up the coffee table for their dinner and drinking. When the younger man had walked into his life, he had neither wanted nor needed him but the more time he spent with him, the more he was growing to appreciate him. It had been almost three months and he hadn’t been able to find another place. In truth, he didn’t know if he was even looking but he kind of hoped he wasn’t. “Yeosang?” 

Yeosang looked up from the bag of alcohol and snacks he was looking through, “Hm?” 

“Do you… I mean I know how hard it is to find a good place for a low price and I think - Would you like to stay here?” 

A slow smile crept over Yeosang’s lips, “You mean it?” 

“I kind of like having you around. I’d … miss you if you left.” Seonghwa looked down, suddenly embarrassed and hurried off toward the bathroom. “I’m going to go take my shower now.” 

Yeosang stared at the closed bathroom door as he set the bag down on the coffee table. He had to admit, he had developed a fondness for his roommate. He was sometimes stubborn and neat to a fault but he was a genuinely kind person and infinitely easy to tease. He always took the teasing with good humor and was just as inclined to laugh at himself. Seonghwa also seemed to like to baby him and he had to admit, he rather liked that too. If he wanted him to stay, then he would be more than happy to do so. He also had to echo the sentiment that if he left, he too would miss Seonghwa - perhaps more than he would like to admit. 

***

Seonghwa blinked and forced himself to focus on the table in front of him. He hadn’t had that much to drink but he was already feeling it. “I don’t know … I like the idea of destiny.” 

“What if you don’t like what it is you’re destined for?” Yeosang opened the second box of chicken and pulled out a leg, gesturing with it while he spoke. “I mean the fortune teller who told my parents about my future said that I would know grief and suffering at the hands of my soul mark.” 

“Grief and suffering?” Seonghwa frowned slightly at that. Everyone had a soulmate and most people bore a mark that matched someone else. You still might go your whole life and never meet the person who matched you and not everyone had a mark that was complete. He hadn’t heard of anyone who had a bad life with their soulmate. “Did you ever see another fortune teller?” 

Yeosang shook his head and reached hurriedly to stabilize his drink as his elbow knocked it. “I just decided I’m going to use my mark in a different way. I’ll just know who to stay away from. What did your fortune teller say?” 

“She said that I would have a prosperous life but that I would have some problems with my health and that I would live my life close to my soul mark. She said that it might not be who I suspect but that I would live a long and happy life with them.” He knew he probably put a bit too much stock in such things but he was happy to know that there was someone out there, his other half - the person he had walked multiple lifetimes with. 

A frown creased Yeosang’s brow and he sighed. A bitterness far sharper than the soju sat on the back of his tongue and he swallowed against it. “So does that mean I was an asshole in my last life and now I’m destined to suffer for it?” 

Seonghwa laid his hand on Yeosang’s on the table. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like to know that you were destined for suffering. Despite his own feelings on the subject, he knew he probably watched too many dramas and life rarely turned out the way that it did on the small screen. “I will help you chase away this person who is just going to cause you grief!” 

There was an earnest note in Seonghwa's voice and Yeosang looked up to meet his gentle gaze. The depth and intensity of that gaze caught him and held him. For the first time in his life, his heart skipped a beat. He startled at the strange feeling and looked away, looking instead to the chicken leg in his hand. He couldn’t even remember having picked it up. Too much soju. He put down the chicken leg and struggled to pull himself to his feet, to go get a bottle of water. As he rose, his toe caught on the hem of his pajama pants and he pitched forward. He threw out his arms to catch himself but instead of the floor, he found himself cushioned instead against Seonghwa with the other man’s arms holding him firm. 

Time stopped. 

He could smell the scent of Seonghwa’s shampoo, the clean scent of his skin, the soju. The warmth of his body and the strength of the arms holding him, permeated his slightly hazy senses. The only thing in the world that he was aware of in that moment, the only thing that mattered was Seonghwa. Yeosang found his eyes drifting down toward Seonghwa’s lips. So close… 

Seonghwa cleared his throat and asked, “Are you alright?” 

The web that had been woven snapped and Yeosang realized that he was definitely imposing and he pulled himself free from the sheltering embrace. He felt a pang of loss as the other man’s warmth left him. 

Too much soju, _way_ too much soju. 

“I’m fine. I guess I had a little too much… I’m going to get some water. You want some?” Yeosang asked. 

Seonghwa nodded, “Yes, thank you.” 

Yeosang managed to get to his feet this time without incident. He looked back over at Seonghwa who was still seated on the floor with his back against the couch. What was wrong with him? He didn’t normally drink a lot but even when he did, he usually handled his liquor better than this. He fished a bottle of water out of the fridge and downed half of it in one drink. He grabbed a second one and just held it as he stared at Seonghwa’s back. After a minute more, he shook his head and walked back over with the bottles of water. “Here you go.” 

“Thanks.” Seonghwa opened his bottle and took a long drink. 

Yeosang watched Seonghwa’s Adam’s apple bobbing up and down as he drank. He tore his eyes away to the table. Trying to distract himself, he asked. “So where’s your soul mark.” 

“It’s … uh…” He was clearly struggling. “My hip bones, both sides. How about you?” That wasn’t actually the full extent but he couldn’t quite bring himself to tell Yeosang that his mark radiated from the base of his cock over his hip bones. 

All of the sudden, an image popped into Yeosang’s head unbidden. He shook his head again to try and free himself from it. “Small of my back.” He turned and lifted up the back of his shirt to show the mark.

It was strangely beautiful, the silvery filigree marking his skin. It reminded Seonghwa of his own but in a wholly different location and size. He half reached out to touch it before letting his hand drop back to his lap. “It’s beautiful.” 

“You think so?” He lowered his shirt and turned back to face him, “I’ve always just been happy it wasn’t very dark so it doesn’t really show up much. I guess that’s the one good thing about it.”

They stayed up and chatted a bit longer before cleaning up and heading to their rooms. Yeosang, for his part, simply attributed the strangeness of the evening to the alcohol. Seonghwa, was far less sure. It was with a head full of swirling thoughts and a heart full of chaos he closed his eyes.

***

Thunder cracked and tore through the atmosphere. 

Yeosang sat straight up in bed. That had been so close, it sounded almost like it was coming from the room itself. It had been raining when they went to bed but the storm had gotten worse. The room lit up and then there was another crack of thunder followed by a creaking sound and then a tremendous crash as a massive part of the ceiling collapsed onto the bottom of his bed and the floor. Yeosang managed to yank his feet back in time and when the door to his room was thrown open, Seonghwa ran to him putting an arm around his shoulder and coaxing him from the room. “Are you alright?” 

Yeosang nodded and cast a somewhat panicked glance back at the room. If he hadn’t woken up from the thunder or if his senses had been slightly more dulled by sleep, he could have been seriously injured or even killed. First the fire and now this, was the universe trying to tell him something? 

“Are you sure?” Seonghwa was looking him over for any injuries Yeosang might not have noticed. Again Yeosang nodded. It looked like he was alright if extremely shaken and rightly so. He sat him down on the couch and got him a cup of tea. He pressed the cup into his shaking hands. 

“I’ll call uncle in the morning to have him get the ceiling fixed. Until then…” He was tempted to tell him that he could share his bed but that might not be comfortable for either of them. Not given the strangeness of the night they spent drinking. Seonghwa got up from the couch and came back with Yeosang’s pillow, some fresh sheets, blanket and made up the couch. 

Seonghwa was the very picture of calmness and that calmness soothed him. He drank his tea and by the time he was done with it, the couch had been made into a bed for him. He was tucked in and Seonghwa perched on the edge of the sofa and ran one of his long elegant hands over his hair. God he just wanted to sink into him and let his calming presence overtake him. “Do you think you can sleep?” 

“Could you…” _stay a little longer?_ It was on the tip of his tongue to ask but instead he just nodded. He was acting like a child. He was fine, he wasn’t hurt and he had just had a bit of a scare. 

Still, Seonghwa smiled that sweet smile of his and began to sing to him. Yeosang didn’t know the song and he didn’t know the words but he listened, riveted by the beauty of his voice. He found his eyes closing and the tension flowing out of him a little bit more with every note that caressed his ear. 

Seonghwa, despite his apparent calm, had been anything but. He had been sure the house was falling down around their ears and he hadn’t been too far off. He sat with Yeosang, singing to him until he fell asleep again. He said he was alright but the look in his eyes said that he was quite the opposite. He probably would have been just as shaken if the ceiling had almost fallen on him. After Yeosang was asleep, he watched him for a little while. He had been terrified but not for himself, no. He was frightened for Yeosang. He had been so worried what he would find when he got to his room. He breathed a sigh of relief and reached to brush a lock of hair from his smooth brow. He was a beautiful man. He almost wished he wasn’t but that wouldn’t change who he was inside and how much he enjoyed him and how he was starting to feel about him. Seonghwa ran his hands through his hair and clasped his hands at the back of his neck. He had a problem.


End file.
